WEBVTT WILL COST $20MILLION AND TAKE 20 YEARS TOBUILD.THE HARFORD ROAD BRIDGELITERALLY SPRUNG A LEAK, A SIXINCH MAIN BROKE UNDER THE DECKSENDING WATER AND FIRE -- IN ALLDIRECTIONS.>> AND THERE HAS BEEN CHUNKS OFCEMENT FALLING FROM THE ARCH.YOU CAN SEE SIX SPOTS FROM HERETHAT HAVE DROPPED, ONE PRETTYRECENTLY ON THE WALKWAY.>> OTHER VISITORS JUST ASSURPRISED.>> I SEE PEOPLE ENJOY RUNNINGUNDER THE BRIDGE, THIS ISOUTRAGEOUS.>> I TOLD MY HUSBAND I AM NOTDRIVING OVER THAT THING.I DO NOT FEEL SAFE.I FEEL LIKE IT COULD COLLAPSE.>> THE BRIDGE IS SAFE TO TRAVELUNDER.LOWELL: HE SAYS THE BRIDGE IS INSATISFACTORY CONDITION, SAFEENOUGH FOR THE 21,700 DAILYVEHICLES THAT CROSS IT.THE ONE HUNDRED SIX EUROSSTRUCTURE HAS REACHED THE END OFITS LIFESPAN.-EITHER PLANS TO REPLACE IT?>> NEXT WEEK, THE LAST WEEK OFAPRIL, WE HAVE -- WE AREADVERTISING THE BRIDGE FORREPLACEMENT.LOWELL: THE NEW BRIDGE WILL BEBUILT WHERE THE CURRENT ONESTANDS.THE APPROVAL PROCESS IS LONG,THE STATE AND THE FEDS HAVE TOSIGN OFF ON THE PLAN BEFORE BIDSGO OUT.HOPEFULLY BY MID-NOVEMBER.CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN EARLY NEXTSPRING.>> THE FUTURE BRIDGE WILL HAVEBOTH TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC ON IT,THERE WILL BE A BIKE LANE ON --LANE ON EITHER SIDE AND THESIDEWALK.LOWELL: THE PUBLIC WILL BEADVISED WHEN THE DETOURS WILL GOUP EXPECTED TO LAST BETWEEN 18MONTHS AND 24 MONTH -- MONTHSAND SIGNS WILL BE POSTED IN EACH

Matt Bovie called the Department of Public Works when water was pouring out of the bridge. Witnesses described water gushing out of the bridge as fierce as a fire hose.

"There have been chunks of cement falling from the arch. You can probably see six spots from here that dropped -- one pretty recently right on the walk way," Bovie said.

"I come to this park all the time. I see people running under the bridge all the time. It's outrageous," said Langston Parker, a resident.

Lynn Huntley has gone to Herring Run Park for the past 30 years. She has no confidence the bridge is safe.

"I told my husband, 'I'm not driving over that thing.' Like, I just don't feel safe. I feel like it could collapse," Huntley said.

According to city transportation officials, the bridge is in satisfactory condition and safe for the 21,700 vehicles that cross it daily.

"The bridge is safe to travel on," said Scott Weaver, chief of bridge engineering for the city.

But the structure is now at the end of its life span.

"There are (plans to replace the bridge), actually next week. The last week of April, we will be delivering plans to the State Highway and Federal Highway administrations to advertise the bridge for replacement," Weaver said.

Exclusive look at the drawings for replacing the Harford Road Bridge. City transportation to submit plans next week to state and Feds pic.twitter.com/Xjt74qpVBJ

The new bridge, which might cost around $20 million, will be built where the current one stands. The approval process is long. Both the state and the federal officials have to sign off on the plans before bids go out, hopefully by mid-November.

"The future bridge will have two lanes of traffic. In addition, there will be a bike lane and sidewalk," Weaver said. "The project itself is going to be for three years, but the actual closure portion of the bridge, we are looking at 18 to 24 months."